BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., April 22 (UPI) — A 6-year-old boy’s life was saved after he was attacked by an 8-foot alligator at a Florida wildlife refuge, state conservation officials said.
Joey Welch, of Pompano Beach, Fla., fell into shallow water Friday at a boat ramp in the Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach, Fla., and was immediately attacked by the alligator, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, reported Monday.
The alligator clamped onto the boy’s right shoulder, and Joey’s father, Joseph Welch, and others fought the alligator by hitting and kicking it until it released the boy. Joey was hospitalized with cuts and bruises, and released, the newspaper said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported licensed trappers captured the alligator and killed it, which is standard procedure in an incident in which a person is attacked.
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